The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1887-09-24
PLEADING FOR THE BOYS.
A Philanthropic Boston CIergyman's GRAFT
flying Victory.

There is one of our ehurches-it
won't do, for reasons of state, to tell
which church it is-that has an entry
way or vestibule, with flight of stone
steps, which is found very convenient
by small street urchins, newsboys and
the like to rest in, to fall asleep in
sometimes, and, horrible to relate! to
crack peanuts in. The litter of shells
left by this juvenile congregation was
the occasion of terror and disgust to
the honored sexton of the church, a
person of rather set notions, who pro-
ceeded to take the necessary steps to
clear the vestibulc Of the nuisance,
driving the boys away and warning
them with dire threats never to come
again.
1t Happened, however. to the sexton's
great establishment. that the pastor of
the church showed disposition to side
with the boys. He liked to find the lit
tie fellows there; he liked to think of
the church over which he ministered
providing safe harbor, with nothing
in it of evil influence or suggestion, for
these human waits. Somehow the old
church seemed to be, in his mind, full
filing the purpose for which it was
designed when it sheltered from the
wind the street boys with its old walls
in the winter, or cooled and rested
their hot and weary bodies with its
dark stones in the summer The min
lister talked to them some ines, and
felt that their resorting there gave him
sort of friendly hold upon them.
SO he protested with the sexton.
Couldn't you come around once in
awhile after the boys have been there
and sweep the steps offp' the pastor
ventured to ask.
Sweep the steps off for the benefit of
those young hoodlums! The sexton
managed to restrain his emotions, but
with difficulty. No; he thought il
would be quite impossible for him to
keep the steps clear of the rubbish
that those boys left there. 1t was too
much to ask, and, as the matter was,
the condition of the steps was a scan
dial to the church. He proposed that a
railing or some other means be pro-
vided that would effectually shut out
the interlopers.
1t was the minister's turn to be stub
born. He intimatcd that the boys
should have a chance to come there as
long as he remained pastor of the
church. He asserted his authority.
The sexton appealed from the decision
of the pastor to the governing commit
| tee of the church. There the matter
was argued; and in spite of the pastor 5
appeal in the boys behalf. and his in
sistence that their habit of resorting to
the church steps might give him an OPP
portunity to do much good, the COM
mittee thought more of the church
steps than they did of the boys, and
decided the dispute in the sections ia.
vor, instructing him to drive the boys
away and take the necessary steps tc
keep them away.
Then there was ministerial crisi;
right away. The pastor appealed the
matter to the church. A meeting was
held, and the question considered in al
its bearings. The pastor pleaded the
case almost with tears in his eyes, ano
certainly with humanity in his heart
He carried the day. and was triumph
antly sustained by the church. Ant
now, it is said, you may find plenty .ot
boys, almost any day, lingering around
the steps of the church resting and gos
siping, but few peanut shells. As the
minister's particular friends they dc
not betray his confidence in them
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